Tropical Glaciers

Abstract

Tropical glaciers reside in low-latitude regions on high mountains. Their mass and surface energy balance regimes differ from those of extratropical glaciers in terms of the dominant processes involved and seasonality; and their study allows insights into mid-tropospheric climate variations in the tropics. This chapter reviews the characteristics of tropical glaciers and physical modelling of their mass/energy balance components, using the glaciers on Kilimanjaro as a case study.